Visible Barriers
by Adrial
Summary: REVISED/REPOSTED Read about Serenity and Endymion's struggle to break through the barriers that their hard-headed parents have created between their worlds in light of an event that neither prince nor princess are aware of until it's almost too late...


"Writing is what I do. Reading is what I love.   
  
People are what I put up with."  
  
--ME  
  
  
  
AUTHOR: Adrial  
  
RATING: PG13  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own it, Don't want it.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
'If all the griefs I am to have   
  
Would only come today,   
  
I am so happy I believe   
  
They'd laugh and run away.   
  
If all the joys I am to have   
  
Would only come today,   
  
They could not be so big as this   
  
That happens to me now. '   
  
--E. Dickinson  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
  
  
|---Visible Barriers---|  
  
  
  
"Love me forever?"   
  
The setting sun cast a shadow across her face,   
  
hiding the solemn glow of her eyes. The indecisive tone   
  
of her voice caused her companion to quirk his brows   
  
and eye her questioningly. Turning her face to his,   
  
he gingerly traced along her jaw bone.  
  
"I'm afraid I'll need longer than forever to   
  
love you," He smiled, satisfied at her small blush.  
  
"You love to flatter me," She sighed into his palm.  
  
"I love to love you, Serenity," His eyes darkened,   
  
sending involuntary shivers down her spine.  
  
"Why must we be apart like this? I feel the   
  
barriers of my kingdom are suffocating me," She left   
  
his gentle hands and stepped cautiously along the   
  
river bank.  
  
To their east, the Terran Palace, in all its   
  
wonderous glory, lay hidden behind thick walls of   
  
stone used to protect it from unwanted visitors.   
  
Serenity sighed in spite of her self for she knew   
  
she was the unwanted visitor the bleak walls were   
  
used to keep out. The differences between her   
  
kingdom and her love's were trivial to say the   
  
least, and she knew nothing nor wished to   
  
understand any more of them other than that.   
  
To understand the one element that forced   
  
Endymion and her to be apart did not appeal to her.   
  
She chose rather to spend what little time she   
  
could with him in the privacy and secrecy of the   
  
forests bordering his palace.  
  
Endymion's electric eyes flashed empathetically   
  
at her sullen expression, and he exhaled. Twilight   
  
was approaching and their time together would be   
  
over soon.   
  
The soft waves of a western breeze blew through,   
  
disrupting the stillness of the placid river.   
  
He grasped her forearm and squeezed   
  
affectionately. "We will get through this,   
  
Serenity--together."  
  
She found herself smiling at him,   
  
re-memorizing his strong and caring face as she   
  
did each time he looked at her. The stern frown   
  
which formed on his lips seemed unbefitting   
  
on his handsome face.  
  
She ruffled his mane of ebony playfully   
  
and pecked his cheek. "Don't look so serious, Endy."  
  
His face melted into laughter, "And you,   
  
princess, should not worry so much."  
  
His hands snuck around her waist and tugged   
  
her towards the soft earth on which they stood.   
  
Her laughter pierced the silence around them   
  
pleasantly, falling into rythm with his deep   
  
chuckles.  
  
Her breath caught in her throat as his warm   
  
lips sought her own, taking them gently.  
  
As their fingers entwined, the addicting   
  
adrenaline of their kiss surged through their   
  
veins. Serentiy felt herself drowning in the   
  
intensity of her reeling emotions.   
  
"Endymion!"   
  
Mixed feelings whipped around their heads   
  
at the interuption. What little self-control   
  
they harbored was tested each moment they shared   
  
alone. Their kiss broke off and Endymion's   
  
eyes searched around them. With a disappointed   
  
sigh, he rose, and Serenity stood with him,   
  
dusting her gown off.  
  
"I must go," He caressed her cheek.  
  
"Until next week then?" She grasped his   
  
hand with her own. Her breaths came in short   
  
gasps, leaving her swollen lips unevenly.   
  
"If I can bear to wait that long," He   
  
kissed her softly.  
  
"ENDYMION! WHERE ARE YOU?!" The deep   
  
baritone voice of one of Endymion's generals   
  
boomed close by.  
  
Serenity pulled away and shoved him   
  
from her gently. "Go, before they catch us."  
  
Endymion turned to leave but grabbed her   
  
once more and landed his lips on hers.  
  
"ENDYMION!!"  
  
"I love you," He whispered against her ear.  
  
"And I, you," She answered.  
  
"Soon," He left her alone with his last   
  
word lingering in the air. The feeling of his   
  
lips still tickled her own, and she sighed.  
  
Turning from the river's edge, she trotted   
  
quietly to a patch of worn earth and closed   
  
her eyes.  
  
The familiar wave of magic washed over her,   
  
penetrating her inner being. She landed softly   
  
on the grounds of the Moon Kingdom a few   
  
moments later.  
  
  
  
  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
The shuffle of skirts on the marble floor   
  
drew the attention of a huddle of men standing in   
  
a corner. A tall, round man who stood proudly in   
  
the middle, cleared his throat and deeply bowed,   
  
gesturing his companions to follow suit.  
  
"Princess Amy, how do you do?" He smiled   
  
genially at the small, Mercurian princess and   
  
grasped her hand.  
  
Amy laughed lightly, "Hello, Sir Galand.   
  
I am doing well, thank you. How is the remodeling   
  
coming along?" She eyed the rolls of paper he   
  
held in his arms.  
  
His face fell for a moment, almost too   
  
quickly for her to notice. "Just fine, dear princess.   
  
Not to worry. The palace will be ten times as strong   
  
in a fortnight," With a wink, he turned on his   
  
heel and left with the men down the corridor.  
  
Amy squashed the seed of suspicion nestling   
  
into her mind and opened the heavy doors to the   
  
dining area.  
  
Seated at the immense table were Serenity's   
  
court and Queen Serenity. The Jovian princess,   
  
Lita, warmly returned her smile of greeting.   
  
Elegantly seated opposite her cousin, Mina, sole  
  
heir to Venus, waved jubilantly. In the midst   
  
of a halo of shining, black hair, Raye's face   
  
lit up momentarily before falling into a look of   
  
agitation. With a flick of her fingers, she   
  
brushed her heavy bangs from her eyes, and the   
  
firey symbol of Mars appeared and then   
  
vanished as the obstinate locks fell back   
  
into place. Amy smiled at her friends and   
  
courtsied daintily to her queen.  
  
"Hey, Merc, you're late today," Serenity   
  
slurped a spoonful of soup ravenously.  
  
Queen Serenity raised her eyebrows at her   
  
daughter, and Serenity straightened uncomfortably   
  
in her seat.   
  
Mercury sat in her respectful seat beside   
  
Princess Raye and laid her napkin in her lap.   
  
"I stopped to speak with Sir Galand for a moment.   
  
He says the remodeling is coming along well,"   
  
She explained.  
  
Queen Serenity smiled approvingly, "I do   
  
hope it will be finished soon. With these improvements   
  
the palace will be most formidable."  
  
Raye glared at her hair wickedly and tucked a   
  
lock of raven behind her ear. "Queen Serenity, why   
  
all the sudden improvements? Has there been a threat?"   
  
She asked.  
  
The Queen shook her head, "Do not fret, Princess.   
  
We are merely attempting to raise our levels of defense   
  
in case such a threat does occur."  
  
"Serenity!" Lita slapped her friend's searching   
  
hand from her plate. Serenity pouted slightly and   
  
folded her arms across her chest.  
  
"Fine. Be greedy. If I faint from starvation,   
  
I'll be sure to thank you," She swooped her fork   
  
over her empty plate despondently.  
  
"If you ever faint it will surely be because   
  
of a food over-load, not from starvation," Raye   
  
supplied, smiling hautily.  
  
Serenity smirked at her Martian friend and   
  
promptly kicked her from beneath the table. Raye   
  
yelped in pain and glared at the princess.  
  
"Serenity," Her mother's warning tone melted   
  
Serenity's smile.  
  
"Sorry, Mother," She mumbled.  
  
  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
  
  
The tense atmosphere of the sitting room began   
  
to suffocate Endymion as his parents stared at him   
  
expectantly.  
  
"What do you want from me?" He ran a hand through   
  
his hair and leaned back on the couch he sat on.  
  
His mother placed a hand on his knee, "We want   
  
what is best for you, Endymion." Queen Gaia's thoughtful   
  
eyes searched her son's. The intensity of her only   
  
child's frustration was clearly evident in the stormy   
  
depths of his eyes which she knew so well. The inner   
  
turmoil he was experiencing was trying her nerves, but   
  
what pained her more was to know that she could do   
  
nothing to ease it--nothing she knew of, anyway.  
  
Endymion closed his eyes, refusing to let his   
  
mother read their silent messages, "What is best for   
  
me is nothing you will ever advocate."  
  
"Son, this is nonsense. My time as king grows   
  
shorter with each passing day, and you have yet to find   
  
a queen to rule alongside you when you take the throne,"   
  
The Terran King, Damius, stood defiantly beside his   
  
wife and son. Thin lines of age traced along his mouth   
  
and face, but the shadows beneath his eyes were the   
  
only clues to the strain he experienced ruling such   
  
a massive kingdom.   
  
Endymion's eyes flashed open, and he rose   
  
abruptly, "I do not wish to speak about this right now."  
  
"This matter will still be here tomorrow and   
  
every day thereafter. The future will come whether   
  
you like it or not, and you can not escape it, Endymion.   
  
You must accept your duty and choose a queen before   
  
it is too late." His father straightened and turned   
  
to leave.  
  
Damius' cool, desolate eyes left their lock   
  
on his, taking whatever bit of emotion he harbored   
  
along with them. Endymion could not remember the   
  
last time his father and he had shared a civil   
  
converstation without it ending with the latter   
  
watching his back as he stormed from the room. This   
  
time he would not let his father have the last word.  
  
He rose, "I have found her. It is you who   
  
chooses not to accept that," Gathering his strength,   
  
he stood firm.   
  
Damius's shoulders stiffened. He kneaded his   
  
forehead in disbelief.  
  
'It is true then?'  
  
He whipped around suddenly, "You dare turn   
  
your back on your kingdom?!" His scowling face   
  
contorted with anger.  
  
Endymion cowered slightly but countered his   
  
father, "It is your narrow-mindedness--"  
  
"My narrow-mindedness?" Damius's voice was a   
  
low rumble, "Those Lunarians are a coniving,   
  
ruthless people, and I will not have my son   
  
associating with any little tart from the Moon."   
  
Endymion's eyes turned black with fury, "Do   
  
not ever speak of her that way! You have no idea   
  
what or whom you are talking about!"   
  
"Damius, Endymion, calm down," Gaia's troubled   
  
face turned back-and-forth from her husband to her son.   
  
"Serenity is more important to me than any   
  
throne," Endymion stared at his father, unblinking.  
  
Damius faltered. "Serenity? You mean to tell   
  
me that not only are you having an affair with a   
  
Lunarian, but the PRINCESS?!" He threw his hands   
  
in the air. Endymion realized his mistake but knew   
  
it was too late. The truth was out.  
  
He swallowed and shifted his stance, "I   
  
am not asking for your approval."  
  
In silent wonder, Gaia covered her open   
  
mouth with her hand.   
  
Endymion forced himself to calm down,   
  
"If you would only make peace with them--see how   
  
loyal and true they really are, then we--"  
  
Damius shook his head, "There is no room   
  
for negotiation. You will have nothing to do with   
  
her from this moment on. I should have acted on   
  
this the first time our guards spotted Lunarian   
  
magic on our grounds. It-ends-here."  
  
He set his mouth in a thin, determined line.   
  
The eerie stillness which followed chilled Enydmion   
  
to his core. His father was right. There was no room   
  
for negotiation, so he would not even attempt it.  
  
"I am sorry we do not agree, Father," Endymion   
  
brushed past him, refusing to look at his mother's   
  
sullen face on his way. His steps grew quicker with   
  
each second, and soon he was racing down the corridor   
  
and through the main gates of the palace.  
  
Gaia fell back onto the couch and covered her   
  
face with her hands. Damius remained standing.  
  
"We have lost him, haven't we?" She whispered,   
  
"We have lost our son because you can not bear to   
  
move beyond the past." She turned to him.  
  
Damius looked at her, "The past is--"  
  
"The past is over, Damius," She cried, "I can   
  
see that. Endymion can see that. It is time you see   
  
as well," She rose from her seat and left him to his   
  
thoughts.   
  
  
  
  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
"Do you believe in love, Mother?" Serenity   
  
twirled a strand of golden hair between her finger   
  
tips and gazed at her mother thoughtfully. The   
  
Lunarian Queen set down her quill and smiled   
  
at her daughter.  
  
"Of course, darling," She rose from her   
  
chair and joined Serenity on her bed, "Would you   
  
care to tell me why you ask?"  
  
Serenity shrugged, "Just...wondering, I guess,"   
  
Her eyes drifted from her mother's, and she stood  
  
and walked to the balcony.  
  
The massive global structure of Earth loomed   
  
overhead like a beacon. She sighed and leaned   
  
heavily against the railing.  
  
Queen Serenity smiled inwardly and followed   
  
behind her daughter. As she used to when Serenity   
  
was a child, she ran her fingers through her   
  
daughter's hair soothingly.  
  
"What is troubling you, Serenity?" She turned   
  
Serenity's shoulders around. The sight of silent   
  
tears trailing from her daughter's eyes   
  
alarmed her.  
  
Serenity shook her head, "I...I'm so confused,   
  
Mother," She wiped her   
  
cheeks, "Th-there is a black area and a white area   
  
that I must choose from," She shook her head as a   
  
signal for her mother to let her finish, "But--but   
  
I am *caught* in this gray part that I just can't...  
  
escape."  
  
She fell into her mother's open arms and wept   
  
softly. She could feel the earth's strong presence   
  
behind her and the Lunarian bond with her mother   
  
tugging her away from its alluring powers.  
  
"My dear, tell me what these white and black   
  
areas are that you must choose from," Queen Serenity   
  
rubbed her daughter's back and lead her back to her   
  
bed. Serenity sat heavily and sniffled.  
  
The Queen's mind was racing, processing all   
  
the information her daughter had supplied so far and   
  
steadily drawing her own conclusions. Her daughter   
  
was in love? With whom? The answer was obvious by   
  
the way Serenity seemed to disappear each saturday   
  
afternoon for hours and the long moments she spent   
  
gazing off at the blue marble of Earth.  
  
The ties between the Lunarians and Terrans   
  
were not broken--they were simply nonexistent. As   
  
much as every fiber of her being longed to end her   
  
daughter's pain by making peace with Earth, Serenity   
  
knew that the obstinate king of her rival planet   
  
would never have it.  
  
Serenity's sobs subsided eventually, leaving   
  
her breaths uneven and shallow.   
  
"I love him," She uttered softly, "I *love*   
  
him," She turned her eyes to her mother, and they   
  
pleaded with her to understand.  
  
"Who do you love, Serenity?" She asked,   
  
placing a hand on her shoulder.  
  
Serenity cast her eyes downward and hesitated.   
  
Perhaps her mother would understand. The many years   
  
she taught her to treat all people equally must   
  
speak something of her mother's own ways of   
  
judging others.  
  
"En-" She paused, "A Terran." Telling her mother   
  
she loved the Terran prince would be too much.   
  
For now she would have to settle for only his   
  
nationality.  
  
Queen Serenity sighed, "Serenity..."  
  
Serenity sat up straight and grasped her mother's   
  
hands, "Mother, if you only knew how wonderful he is--"  
  
Queen Serenity placed her hands on either   
  
side of her daughter's face gently.   
  
"I am sure he is, Serenity, but it is against   
  
our laws. Associating with a Terran is something no   
  
Lunarian is allowed. I am sorry, Serenity."  
  
Serenity's eyes filled again. The thought of   
  
losing Endymion was too much for her heart to bear.   
  
She fled the room in a whirlwind of robes and tears.  
  
"Serenity," Her mother called after her.   
  
Serenity's ears, however, were clogged with the   
  
repetition of her mother's earlier words. She   
  
would never be allowed the one privelege she   
  
longed for most--to love whom she chose freely.  
  
With her daughter gone, the queen silently   
  
wept into her palms. Rarely did she shed a tear,   
  
for the hardships of ruling a kingdom had taught   
  
her to hide her emotions well. Through her bond   
  
with her only child, she could feel the vast   
  
pain that pierced her soul.  
  
The gentle hand which fell across her   
  
shoulder startled her slightly, but she soon   
  
recognized her friend's presence and grasped her   
  
hand tightly.  
  
"Setsuna...How can I let her hurt like   
  
this?" She turned to face her long time confidante.  
  
Setsuna's wise eyes were filled with regret   
  
for her queen. "I am sorry, your highness," She   
  
said softly.  
  
"Isn't it ironic that she should love a   
  
Terran? And the prince...I can remember..." She   
  
trailed off, taking her next words with her.  
  
Setsuna did not question how the queen   
  
had figured out the identity of her daughter's   
  
love. Her queen was as wise as she, with or   
  
without the visions of past and future to back her up.  
  
"Irony is a strange, enigmatic thing.   
  
All will be well, my queen. Be strong for her,"   
  
Setsuna hugged Serenity sisterly, allowing her   
  
facade of sterness to fall for a moment.   
  
"Peace, Serenity. Peace shall undo all that   
  
has been wronged. Have faith in your daughter's   
  
heart and in your own," With those last words   
  
spoken, the keeper of time and princess of Pluto   
  
vanished, leaving the solemn queen alone in her   
  
room--her thoughts her only company.   
  
  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Surrounded by shrubbery and plants, Serenity   
  
wandered aimlessly throughout her gardens. The aroma   
  
of foriegn scents eased her troubled mind only slightly,   
  
and she found herself unable to cease the broken   
  
sobs that racked her her body.  
  
Making sure no guards were around, she eased   
  
through the garden gates and stealthily made her way   
  
into the grassy plains bordering the palace's   
  
western face.  
  
She was not surprised to find herself in the   
  
spot she would normally transport to Earth to visit   
  
her prince. The urge to see him was mind-numbing.   
  
She could hear his voice calling her name in her   
  
mind. Her tears were less now, trailing slowly   
  
from her eyes.   
  
She fell to the ground heavily, pulling her   
  
knees to her chest as if to shield herself from   
  
the pain she felt. Wiping her cloudy eyes, she   
  
cast them heavenward and blinked. A large flash   
  
soared above her head. Her eyebrows perked up on   
  
her small forehead in interest, and she rose.   
  
Whomever or whatever the object was would surely   
  
be seen by the guards and located.   
  
Out of curiosity, she found herself walking   
  
farther into the field in search of the mysterious   
  
ball of light. As she approached the edge of the   
  
plain and was faced with a wall of trees, she   
  
swallowed and trudged on through the forest.  
  
Seeing was almost impossible through the   
  
thick shrubs and bushes blocking her path. She   
  
saw no point in continuing further, but as she   
  
turned to retreat from the woods, a large hand   
  
gripped her waist and pulled her back through   
  
the trees roughly.  
  
What ever cries of distress she intended   
  
to release were promptly muffled by a strong hand.   
  
Jagged briars snarled at her flailing limbs, making   
  
it futile and painful to struggle in the stranger's   
  
grasp whose identity was concealed completely by   
  
the inky darkness which surrounded them.  
  
By the person's careless movements, Serenity   
  
could tell he/she did not know exactly where they   
  
were going. Their blind thrusts behind bushes and   
  
constant circling ensured her that the person   
  
was lost. She pondered whether that was good   
  
or bad.  
  
Her thoughts were severed when they stopped   
  
abruptly. A small patch of clearing lay before  
  
her, and she found herself more curious than   
  
frightened for some reason. Her lack of fear   
  
troubled her.  
  
"Serenity."  
  
So familiar...had the person said her name before?   
  
"Serenity, it's me," Her arms were released,   
  
and she was whipped around to face the cobalt eyes   
  
she had memorized so many times before. Her breath   
  
caught in her throat.  
  
"Endymion...?" Her baffled mind only had   
  
enough time to register the person's name while   
  
dealing with the bubbling questions brewing within it.  
  
Endymion smiled shortly and took her hand.   
  
"Forgive me, love, I didn't mean to scare you like   
  
that. I wanted to make sure we were far enough from   
  
the palace so we wouldn't be--"  
  
Serenity threw herself into his arms, tears   
  
streaming freely all the while. She didn't care what   
  
his motives were--didn't have time to care as she   
  
held on to him as if it would be the last time   
  
they would share a moment together.  
  
He lost himself in their embrace, gripping   
  
her small frame against his own. The only place   
  
he had thought of to flee to after his fight   
  
with his parents was wherever Serenity was--in   
  
this case, the planet he had been brought up to   
  
despise and fear.   
  
She sniffled softly against his chest,   
  
reveling in the feeling of his nearness.   
  
"No need to cry, Sere," He tilted her chin   
  
towards him, "You're so beautfiul when you smile."   
  
He was rewarded with an elated, yet watery,   
  
grin. He chuckled and kissed her forehead gently.  
  
"H-how? Why did you come?" She inquired.   
  
Endymion sighed and lead her to a clear patch of   
  
grass where he brought her to sit in his lap. She   
  
leaned her head against his shoulder as he spoke.  
  
"Two reasons, actually. One: I was dying to   
  
be with you," He ran his hand over her hair, and   
  
she blushed, digging her face deeper into the   
  
fabric of his shirt, "And two: my parents and I   
  
had a little...falling out, if you will."  
  
Her ears pricked up like a small puppy and   
  
she furrowed her brow, "What happened, Endy? And   
  
you know how dangerous it is for you to be here.   
  
There are Lunarian guards lurking around every   
  
corner," She eyed him half sternly, half admirably.  
  
He merely pecked her nose, and laughed, "And   
  
this coming from the one who risks everything to   
  
travel to my kingdom each week?" She blushed and   
  
voiced her first question again.  
  
Endymion cast his eyes upward and ran a   
  
hand through his ebony locks, "They've discovered us."   
  
Serenity gasped and stood up abruptly,   
  
"How? What will your father do? He won't attack   
  
our kingdom will he? Endy, this is all my fault,"   
  
She began pacing, rolling over all impossibly tragic   
  
outcomes to their dilemma in her mind, and he   
  
grabbed her shoulders.  
  
"Serenity, this is *not* your fault, and he   
  
won't be attacking any time soon. Between us, he's   
  
a little intimidated by your militia," Endymion   
  
laughed for a second, instantly sobering at her   
  
look of disaprovement.  
  
"This isn't funny, Endy," She left his arms   
  
and walked around him, "I can't take this any more.   
  
My mother would no more let me continue my relationship   
  
with a 'terran'," She scoffed at how 'terran' seemed   
  
to be a word of distaste to her mother, "Than she   
  
would with a moster of the Nega Verse."  
  
Endymion felt her frustration and took her   
  
into his arms again. "I know, Sere. But my father   
  
is stubborn and will not back down, and I am not   
  
willing to lose you."   
  
"Why can't we just love each other without   
  
feeling as if we're commiting a royal indecency of   
  
some sort?" She sighed against his chest.  
  
"The only indecency being commited is the way   
  
our people see eachother--as enemies to be feared,"   
  
He sighed into her hair.  
  
"Wait..." Serenity pulled away slightly,   
  
"Maybe if you talked to my mother, she would be   
  
able to see how Terrans really are," She smiled,   
  
"I know she would talk to you. She wants war no   
  
more than you or I do."  
  
Endymion tucked a lock of hair behind her   
  
ear, "I wish it were that simple, love, but my   
  
father will never relent in his blind hatred for   
  
your people. Even if I convinced your mother, he   
  
would only see it as an act of treason on my part   
  
and God knows what he would do to me...or to   
  
your people then."  
  
Serenity shook her head, "Please, Endy. Just   
  
*talk* to her, let her see--"  
  
"Serenity, it is not going to work," He turned   
  
away from her.  
  
Serenity followed him and grabbed onto his arm,   
  
"Endy, if you believe in our love as much as I do,   
  
then please show me by defending it in front of my mother."  
  
"Do I need to prove my love for you, Serenity?"   
  
He asked.  
  
Serenity now turned from his eyes, "No...I   
  
know you love me. But If not to prove that love for   
  
me then prove that you are not prejudice against our   
  
people and that you wish for peace as much as my   
  
mother and I do."  
  
She hugged her arms against her chest.   
  
Endymion could not find the words to deny his   
  
love of her wish. He felt himself relenting and   
  
sighed heavily.  
  
"I will speak to her," He caved.  
  
Serenity whipped around and tackled him to   
  
the ground. Breathless, she kissed him with a   
  
passion all her own.   
  
"Thank you," She smiled sincerely at him once   
  
she broke their embrace.  
  
Shaken up a bit by her surprise attack,   
  
Endymion only shook his head in disbelief and   
  
brought her lips against his own again.   
  
"You are...incredible," His hot breath   
  
tickled the sensitive skin around her ear and she giggled.  
  
In his arms, Serenity felt secure knowing that   
  
in mere minutes her mother would finally understand   
  
the futility of segregating the Terrans from Lunarians.  
  
With her prince, she stood from the ground and   
  
prepared to venture back to the palace.  
  
"Who goes there?" A voice in the distance called,   
  
startling the still of the night.   
  
Endymion and Serenity looked at eachother   
  
intensely. Endymion reached for her and brought her   
  
ear to his mouth.  
  
"Go, Serenity. I will come back for you tomorrow   
  
night. If they find you, it will only make things   
  
worse. No one knows about me yet," He shoved her   
  
slightly towards the trees.  
  
"No, Endy. I want to stay with you," She struggled   
  
against him.  
  
"Please, Serenity," His cobalt eyes pleaded with   
  
her, and she paused for a moment.   
  
"Anyone there? Show yourselves!" The guard was   
  
closer now, his voice excited at the opportunity of   
  
capturing a trespasser on palace grounds.  
  
"Serenity," Endymion urged her. With one more   
  
dithering glance, she fled from the clearing, diving   
  
into the woods blindly in the opposite direction of   
  
the guard's voice.  
  
Endymion hesitated before flinging himself into   
  
another section of the forest. Branches ripped at his   
  
clothing, and a protruding root brought him tumbling   
  
down a small hill. He landed with a grunt and wiped   
  
his soiled face harshly.   
  
"Don't-move-a-muscle," With a cocky smirk, the   
  
guard grinned at Endymion and pointed his dagger   
  
against his neck.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Serenity's shoes clicked rapidly against the   
  
floor, her hair billowing behind her. The corridor   
  
loomed on, seemingly stretching farther in the distance   
  
with each step she took.  
  
"Serenity, where are you going in such a hurry?"   
  
Mina followed behind her cousin, walking quickly to   
  
keep up with her hurried steps.  
  
Serenity did not look behind her. "I'm looking   
  
for Mother. Have you seen her?" She looked down an   
  
empty corridor. No queen there.  
  
"She's in a meeting with a lord--Richard, I think.   
  
Serenity, what's wrong?" Panting, Mina placed her   
  
hands on her knees when Serenity halted in front of a   
  
large set of doors.  
  
She watched with inquisitive eyes as Serenity   
  
threw the doors open and barged into the room. Queen   
  
Serenity sat opposite a large, smiling man. Deciding   
  
to wait until her cousin came to her to explain her   
  
odd behavior, Mina shrugged and disappeared through   
  
another set of doors.  
  
At her daughter's sudden appearance, Queen   
  
Serenity's lips altered from a relieved smile to a   
  
questioning frown.   
  
"Serenity? What--"   
  
"Mother, I must speak to you," Serenity did   
  
not bother to acknowlege the man next to her mother.  
  
Her mother gestured to the visitor, "Serenity,   
  
I am in a meeting with Lord Richard at the moment.   
  
Can this not wait?"   
  
Serenity shook her head and opened her mouth   
  
to speak, but the slamming of doors interrupted her speech.  
  
A handfull of guards stormed into the room.   
  
A man with flashing green eyes bowed to the queen.  
  
"Forgive me, your highness, for interupting,"   
  
He rose and nodded respectfully to Lord Richard,   
  
"We have captured an intruder sneaking around the   
  
bordering forest."  
  
Queen Serenity furrowed her brow, "Well, send   
  
him to the dungeons as usual. I do not understand   
  
why you have chosen to interupt my meeting to   
  
inform me of such a common matter."  
  
The guard smiled slightly, "I belive you   
  
will find it rather intriguing see who the   
  
intruder is, my queen."   
  
He gestured the men to part. Ragged and   
  
sweating, Endymion appeared between them.  
  
Serenity gasped at the sight of Endymion   
  
and barely caught herself from lunging into the   
  
group and freeing him. She bit her tongue.  
  
Her mother crossed her arms, waiting for   
  
an explanation. The same general cleared his   
  
throat and turned to Endymion. Endymion flinched   
  
as the man brushed back his matted bangs revealing   
  
the glowing symbol of Earth.  
  
The regal queen's hand flew to her mouth.  
  
"A royal Terran?" She uttered in disbelief.   
  
The gerneral crossed his arms, sastified.  
  
"The *Prince* of Earth, your majesty," He said.  
  
Queen Serenity threw her daughter a hasty   
  
glance and swallowed. She approached Endymion as   
  
if he would reach out and rip her arm off if she   
  
dared disturbed the barriers of his personal space.  
  
As she neared, Endymion's eyes held no look   
  
of malice, nor did they stray from her own. He   
  
faced her hard gaze with one of his own. The queen   
  
stood a few feet from him and cleared her throat.  
  
"Prince Endymion..." She eyed him as if   
  
she expected his arrival. Her head turned from   
  
him and looked at the general. "Take him to the   
  
dungeons. I will determine his punishment. Speak   
  
of his capture to no one." She needed no   
  
explanation of his presence; he confirmed her   
  
strong suspicions with his eyes.  
  
The general nodded and gestured for the   
  
guards to take him away. Serenity moved toward   
  
him but stopped herself. Endymion allowed himself   
  
one glance at her watering eyes. She apologized   
  
through her gaze, and he let the corner of his   
  
mouth twitch slightly in a brief smile of assurance.  
  
The guards tugged roughly at him, throwing him   
  
disgusted glances. After they left, the queen   
  
apologized to her guest. He assured her he would   
  
speak of the incident to no one and departed,   
  
leaving the queen and her daughter to themselves.  
  
Serenity bit back her tears and remorse. She   
  
waited impatiently as her mother remained silent for   
  
a few minutes before speaking.  
  
"Serenity, you understand what must be done,"   
  
Her voice was hollow and empty as she spoke.  
  
Serenity gasped inaudibly, "No..."  
  
Queen Serenity turned to face her daughter   
  
who was shaking her head slowly.  
  
"I am sorry. It is the law, Serenity. I have   
  
no choice," She reached for her daughter's shoulder.   
  
Serenity threw her mother a painstricken glance   
  
and fled from the room.  
  
The doors boomed shut, and the queen covered   
  
her face.  
  
"I am sorry," She whispered.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
"Your Majesty, I have urgent news!" The doors   
  
to King Damius's study were thrown open by a panting   
  
man. The king looked up irritably.  
  
"General Zoicite? What news is so urgent that   
  
you must interupt me?" His cold eyes flashed.  
  
The man briefly flinched but regained his   
  
composure quickly.   
  
"The prince has been captured, your highness,"   
  
He paused and swallowed.  
  
Damius rose from his chair abruptly, "What do   
  
you *mean* he has been captured? Where?" His voice boomed.  
  
The general straightened his shoulders. "He   
  
was captured only hours ago...on the Moon."  
  
  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
"Who is there?" A short, stalky man peeked   
  
through his door.  
  
Emotionless blue eyes stared back at him.   
  
"It is I, Princess Serenity," The visitor said.  
  
The man immediately straightened and opened   
  
the door. He bowed low and questioned her presence.  
  
She did not smile and kept her cool eyes   
  
still, "I wish to see the man who was captured   
  
earlier this evening."  
  
Quirking an eyebrow, the guard rose and   
  
allowed her passage into the dungeon. Grabbing a   
  
torch, he lead her down a narrow corridor. The   
  
faces of men and women prisoners stared back at   
  
her silently. She swallowed and focused on the   
  
man in front of her.  
  
"He was put in a separate cell. I don't   
  
know why but..." The guard trailed off and   
  
gestured to a stairwell.  
  
"I must keep watch. Follow this stairwell   
  
down to the bottom, princess, and a guard will be   
  
there," Bowing low, he left her alone.  
  
She shivered and descended the staircase.   
  
The stone walls bordering them were cold and dreary   
  
looking. After a minute or two, she reached the ground.  
  
Five guards stood watch. They leaned casually   
  
against the walls but bowed automatically at her   
  
sudden presence. One stepped forward, "Your   
  
highness, what brings you--"  
  
"I wish to speak to the man captured earlier   
  
this evening," She looked at the cell door and   
  
added, "Privately."  
  
The guards raised their eyebrows questioningly   
  
but stepped aside. They stared at her for a moment   
  
before retreating down another hallway. One of them   
  
assured her that if she needed anything, they would   
  
be near enough to come. After they had gone,   
  
Serenity faced the cell.  
  
"Endymion..." She whispered. A shuffling of   
  
chains was heard and Endymion's soiled face appeared.   
  
His lip was bleeding slightly and his tattered   
  
clothing hug limply from his body. She used every   
  
ounce of self-control to restrain the tears that   
  
stung her eyes.  
  
"Serenity, what are you--"   
  
"I'm so sorry," She fell against the door.   
  
Endymion reached through and grasped her hand tightly.  
  
"I should be sorry," He titled her chin to   
  
face him.  
  
"No...it's all my fault. I should have stayed   
  
with you," The tears she tried desperately to hide   
  
were leaking now.  
  
"Sshh," He wiped a tear from her cheek.  
  
"Mother...sh-she said she has no choice.   
  
They're going to--" She was cut off by her own sobs.   
  
"Don't worry, Sere, I'll make it. We'll find   
  
a way, I promise," He grasped her chin as best he   
  
could with his handcuffs on, "I will not leave you."  
  
"I can't live without you," She whispered.  
  
He smiled softly, "You won't have to, Serenity.   
  
I promise I will be here for you...always."  
  
Her shining eyes glittered in the orange glow   
  
of the surrounding torches. She reached into her   
  
cloak and held out her hand to Endymion. He stared   
  
at her for a moment and grasped the shimmering bag   
  
which she offered.   
  
Before more could be said, a guard appeared.   
  
Serenity stood and glanced at Endymion.  
  
He mouthed 'I love you' slowly to her. She   
  
returned his words and turned away from him. A guard   
  
escorted her from the chamber.   
  
Endymion walked clumsily with his chains to   
  
the corner of his cell. He opened his clasped hand   
  
and sighed. The stars cast a dull glow into his room   
  
from a small window, and he shut his tired eyes   
  
from the image of his home, mockingly glowing   
  
above him.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
"Prepare the militia! Get every soldier and   
  
able man you can!" His voice hoarse from shouting   
  
orders, King Damius watched over a busy crowd of   
  
generals scurrying to fulfill their sire's demands.  
  
From a corner, Gaia looked on with a despondent   
  
frown. Had it really come to this? She looked at her  
  
husband, red-faced with beady perspiration forming   
  
at his hairline. Thoughts of Endymion rushed through   
  
her mind. Her only child, forced to suffer because   
  
he fell prisoner to love.  
  
"My queen," A man placed a comforting hand   
  
on her shoulder. She smiled appreciatively and   
  
placed hers atop his.  
  
"Kunzite, I am sure you will bring him back   
  
to me safely. He is so dear to you," She cast her   
  
eyes elsewhere, biting back an onslaught of tears.  
  
"You have my word, your majesty," His silver-  
  
blue eyes took in his queen's anguished appearance,   
  
and he departed.   
  
After passing several corridors filled with   
  
scurrying people, he pushed through a set of wooden   
  
doors revealing a security room buzzing with compressed   
  
energy. A man hunched over a stack of papers looked up   
  
briefly. His blonde hair fell across his forehead limply   
  
from his constant swatting to keep it from his eyes.  
  
"Kunzite, any news?" He stretched his sore back   
  
muscles.  
  
His friend and fellow general eyed him glumly,   
  
"The king has prepared an army...we are going to war, Jaedite."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
"Serenity, please, stop crying," Mina cradled   
  
her weeping cousin gently in her arms. Serenity   
  
sniffled and wiped her puffy eyes.  
  
"Oh, Mina...they're going to kill him tomorrow   
  
and there is nothing I can do to stop them," She fell   
  
into her arms again, a fresh wave of tears racking   
  
her body.  
  
Mina sent Lita a helpless look, but she turned   
  
away, her own vision becoming clouded by tears.   
  
  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
"How soon, Artemis?" Queen Serenity rubbed her   
  
forehead. Artemis swallowed, "King Damius will have an   
  
army within the hour, your majesty. He has sent this   
  
message, as well."  
  
Queen Serenity grasped the paper and unfolded   
  
it. As her eyes skimmed its contents, Artemis shifted   
  
uncomfortably.  
  
Serenity sighed heavily and faced him again,   
  
"He declares war..."  
  
"My queen, what will our plan of attack be?   
  
Shall we offer the freedom of their prince in return   
  
for peace?" Artemis asked.  
  
Serenity smiled wisely, "Artemis this war is   
  
not about his son," She turned her gaze to an open   
  
window. The massive earth seemed to smirk back at her,   
  
"This is about a cowardly king, desperate to reign   
  
surperior above all others, and he will not rest   
  
until he fulfills his desire."  
  
"Perhaps a negotiation session could be--"  
  
Queen Serenity shook her head, "Artemis, this   
  
is it. When King Damius attacks, we will be ready to   
  
defend our kingdom. I will not rest until our planets   
  
live in the harmony that they should," She eyed him   
  
intensely, "Prepare the militia."  
  
"Mother."  
  
Queen Serenity turned to her door where her   
  
daughter stood. Her eyes were cool as stone, a look   
  
her mother never thought possible on her young face.  
  
"War is not the answer, Mother," Serenity fell   
  
her to her knees at her mother's seat, "We can reach   
  
peace. If we battle with Earth it will only cause   
  
more damage."  
  
"Serenity, my child," She placed a hand on her   
  
daughter's head, "We have no choice."  
  
Serenity stood and brushed off her mother's hand,   
  
"And what of Endymion? If you harm him it will only   
  
make King Damius' fury greater."  
  
Queen Serenity looked away from her daughter's   
  
pleading gaze, "His fate has been decided. Accept   
  
that and move on," Her harsh words rolled off of her   
  
tongue as if they were foreign.   
  
Serenity's frustration morphed into a firey rage   
  
at her mother's words, "How can you say that?! How   
  
can you ask me to accept that the only man I have ever   
  
loved will be killed by my own people? If you follow   
  
through with his execution, Mother, then you may as   
  
well kill me, too," Her voice was ragged, and she   
  
furiously wiped at her eyes.  
  
"Serenity, you do not understand. Let me explain   
  
it to you," Serenity gently took her daughter's arm   
  
and brought her to sit. The sobbing princess could   
  
not protest, therfore she sat in silence, awaiting   
  
her mother's next words.  
  
Queen Serenity took upon a look of pure   
  
nostalgia for second before shaking it off and turning   
  
to her daughter. "I can remember...many years ago   
  
when your father was alive," She swallowed back the   
  
rising lump in her throat, "H-He and King Damius were   
  
great friends, you know? They grew up together on Earth."  
  
Serenity gasped, "Mother, you never told me   
  
Father was a Terran."   
  
Queen Serenity sighed, "Times became so...so   
  
unbearable, Serenity. I did not wish for you to change   
  
your feelings toward your father simply because of   
  
his heritage."   
  
Serenity nodded and let her mother continue.  
  
"As I was saying...Terrans and Lunarians were   
  
very much linked with eachother, and when your father   
  
came to visit and we met..." Her eyes glazed over,   
  
"We married shortly after and shared the most wonderful   
  
life for a while," She cupped her daughter's cheek,   
  
smiling at the signs of her father which shone through   
  
at her now more than ever, "But it was not meant to be.   
  
An evil sourceress attacked the earth, killing   
  
thousands and spreading hatred throughout their lands.   
  
Somehow, the Terrans began to believe that your father   
  
had sabotaged them and was traitorous to their people."  
  
Serenity moved to speak, but her mother pushed on,   
  
"King Damius grew so flustered with whom to believe that   
  
he finally gave in to his people who threatened to rebel   
  
against him if he refused to banish all communications   
  
with the Lunarian people," She wiped a tear which   
  
escaped her eye, "By the time our communications were   
  
lost, the sourceress was free to spread her terror   
  
upon our people. Your...your father was killed in   
  
the first battle."  
  
"Mother..." Serenity placed a hand on her   
  
mother's shoulder.  
  
"We were able to defeat her in the end with   
  
assisstance from our allies," her attempted smile   
  
looked more like a twitching frown on her solemn   
  
face, "Ever since, Terrans have separated themselves   
  
from us with no sign of relenting, and although I have   
  
tried many times to re-establish our ties, King Damius   
  
has so grown to believe that your father was a traitor,   
  
that he will settle for no explanation."  
  
Serenity lowered her head under the heavy weight   
  
of her mother's words.   
  
"He has continued to look for any negative event   
  
to blame the Lunarians for in order to have an excuse   
  
to attack...and now, he has." Queen Serenity turned her   
  
daughter's face to look at her.  
  
"Do you understand, Serenity? Do you see why you   
  
can not love him?"  
  
"No, I do *not* understand, Mother!" Serenity   
  
exploded. Her own heated anger surprised her, but she   
  
was in too deep to turn back, "All I *understand* is   
  
that a stubborn king can not admit that he is wrong,   
  
and that my mother--who I used to believe could do   
  
anything--is giving up so easily." Serenity stormed   
  
from the room, flinging her tears into the air. A   
  
single drop landed on the queen's hand, and she   
  
covered it with the other.  
  
Queen Serenity's heart collasped with her   
  
daughter's words, and in the privacy of her bedroom   
  
she wept openly for her princess and her princess's   
  
prince. Fate was a cruel and unjust thing in the trials   
  
and tribulations of love.  
  
  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Earth's militia prepared to teleport to the Moon.   
  
King Damius stood proud in his armor and held his hand   
  
for the signal. Pooling all of their psychic powers,   
  
they disappeared from their homeland, unsure if they   
  
would ever stand on its soil again.  
  
The shield which protected the Moon from their   
  
invasion crumbled beneath their combined power. Queen   
  
Serenity nodded as Artemis informed her of this. She   
  
was hardly surprised.  
  
In the Lunarian skies, flashes of bright light   
  
containing the Terran militia illuminated the horizon   
  
for miles. Children danced in their yards, pointing to   
  
the brilliant light spectical. Their mothers beckoned   
  
them to come inside.   
  
In the comfort of their home, a mother and child   
  
prepared to sleep. The flashing lights of the sky sent   
  
spears of light throughout their room.  
  
"Where is Daddy, Mama?"   
  
"Sssh...go to sleep."  
  
"But, where did he go?"  
  
"He's gone for a trip, honey."  
  
"When will he be back?"  
  
"We'll just have to...to see, dear."  
  
"I wonder if he can see the shooting stars."  
  
"I'm--I'm sure he can."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
"Senshi, are you prepared for battle?" Queen   
  
Serenity looked at the young girls' faces.   
  
Bravely, they nodded. Venus shielded her eyes   
  
from the blinding lights entering their atmosphere.   
  
Her friends looked at her and she smiled reassuringly.   
  
From behind them, Serenity cried silently for them.   
  
Mars' amtheyst eyes solemnly looked at her princess.   
  
She enveloped her in a hug, whispering words of solace.   
  
Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus joined in shortly thereafter.  
  
Soon, Serenity watched her friends descend the   
  
palace steps to approach the first line. The elements   
  
of their powers flickered in their tiaras brightly.   
  
She smothered the lurking doubt that she would ever   
  
see them again.  
  
The pain she felt consumed her mind, heart, and soul.   
  
A guard moved to take her into hiding where she would be safe.   
  
From the corner of her eye she could see a group of soldiers   
  
approaching the queen. They whispered in hushed voices for   
  
a moment, and Queen Serenity's eyes widened slightly. After   
  
a few more hushed words, she nodded and they left.  
  
Queen Serenity looked at her daughter as she was   
  
taken away. Serenity read her mother's expression and turned   
  
away from her gaze. The queen turned to face the battle   
  
field and waited. As she heard the telltale ruffle of   
  
skirts, she closed her eyes. Serenity broke free from the   
  
guards and fled. Soon she and her love would be   
  
together--as they should be.  
  
  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
The handle of his sword slipped against his sweaty   
  
palm. King Damius gripped it tighter, wiped his brow and   
  
faced ahead. The battlefield spanned five acres, and   
  
the Lunarian army loomed dauntingly in the distance.   
  
Their elite, the senshi, could be seen in the front.   
  
Their legendary powers sparkled magnificently in the   
  
misty night.  
  
A bright flash momentarily blinded the Terran army,   
  
and as they uncovered their eyes, their breath caught in   
  
their throats. Queen Serenity hovered above her army,   
  
glowing with the incredible power she possessed.  
  
Mars sent a firm glance to Venus. Her intense gaze   
  
wavered for a moment, the blue of her eyes shifting   
  
with apprehension. With the aura of her fellow senshi   
  
emitting from either side of her, Venus inhaled and   
  
focused her energy. The wave of power she grew to depend   
  
and rely on washed over her mind and body in electrifying   
  
jolts, peaking her senses and creating an addicting   
  
adrenaline which coarsed through her veins rapidly.  
  
King Damius held onto the moment of silence with   
  
all his might, drawing from its intensity and power. The   
  
image of his son faltered in his mind, leaving only a   
  
vision of the destruction of the Moon Kingdom. His lips   
  
curved maliciously; his hands quaked with anticipation.   
  
Huddled so close he could feel the hot breath of his   
  
soldiers on his neck, he shifted slightly. Slowly, he   
  
raised the glittering blade of his weapon above his head.  
  
"ATTACK!!"  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Behind a thick wall of brush, Endymion tried to   
  
control his racing heart. From his perch, he could view   
  
the sea of warriors on either end of the battlefield.   
  
Within his palm lay the golden object Serenity had   
  
supplied for him to use against the guards.   
  
He allowed himself a moment to reflect on his   
  
escape. The guards had futiley attempted to restrain him,   
  
but the small dose of magic supplied by his princess   
  
had overtaken them, rendering them unconcious and   
  
utterly helpless.   
  
Branches cracked behind him, and he jumped.   
  
The angelic face of his princess appeared moments after,   
  
shedding a ray of light on the desolate hour.  
  
No words were spoken as they enveloped eachother   
  
in an embrace. Endymion felt a patch of moisture on his   
  
chest, and tightened his hold on Serenity's small waist.  
  
"They're going to destroy eachother," She whispered   
  
against his chest. Endymion released his hold enough   
  
to look into her eyes.  
  
"Not if we stop them," The familiar determination   
  
returned to his colbat eyes.  
  
"Together?" She gripped his hand.  
  
"Forever, Serenity."   
  
  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Damius' battle cry pierced the night, rupturing   
  
the thick layer of silence. Queen Serenity signaled her   
  
army to begin battle, and they roared across the field,   
  
rumbling like a horrendous tornado of destruction.  
  
Horses puffed clouds of sharp, misty breaths and   
  
galloped fiercly beneath the weight of the Terran militia,   
  
and the ground shook violently beneath their hooves.  
  
As the walls closed in on the gap separating   
  
the armies inch by inch, the adrenaline of battle   
  
smothered all feelings of fear. They collided with the   
  
deafening clashing of sword on sword, fist on fist.   
  
They now shared a common goal: to fight to the death.   
  
Queen Serenity tapped into the silver crystal's   
  
energy within herself. She would use it as a last resort   
  
and only that. King Damius stopped his stallion and raised   
  
his arms towards the heavens. A colossal wave shot out,   
  
and a ball of golden fire appeared between his open palms.   
  
He smiled.  
  
  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Tearing through the thicket, Endymion and Serenity   
  
silmultaneously gasped and stood still. The symbols of   
  
their planets burned upon their foreheads. Serenity's   
  
mouth cracked open slightly in wonder and fear. Endymion   
  
merely stared at the illuminated crescent on his princess'   
  
forehead, stunned.  
  
'What does this mean?' They both thought. Endymion   
  
racked his cluttered brain for some explanation. An unknown   
  
force brought his eyelids down over his cloudy eyes, and   
  
he saw his father, holding up the legendary golden crystal,   
  
and sneering malevolently at it in his hands.   
  
"He's using the golden crystal..." he uttered.   
  
Serenity had long since felt her mother's crystal powering   
  
up through their strong bond. She bit her lip and   
  
turned back to their destination. Two separate domes of   
  
silver and gold were rising into the sky, crackling   
  
loudly above the screams and cries of death sounding   
  
beneath them.  
  
Suddenly, Endymion gripped his chest, doubling   
  
over in pain. Serenity fell beside him, holding his   
  
face steady in her shaking hands.  
  
"Endymion? Endy?! Please talk to me!" Her voice   
  
cracked over her sobs.Endymion's eyes were half   
  
closed. Through the tiny slits she could see their   
  
hollow and empty depths. Her cries grew louder, racking   
  
her body harshly. She shook his shoulders once more,   
  
trying to awake him from whatever subconcious sleep   
  
he had entered.   
  
"Pl-please..." Her head fell against his chest,   
  
all feelings of hope dissipating within her.  
  
Only a few hundred yards away King Damius was   
  
basking in the drug of the golden crystal's power.   
  
He focused more on his son's untapped powers and   
  
unleashed them, transferring them into the crystal.  
  
Serenity rocked back and forth, Edymion's limp   
  
body moving with her in her arms.   
  
'Use his light, Serenity.'  
  
Her eyes snapped open, darting around rapidly,   
  
searching for the voice. The ominous forest was all she saw.   
  
She focused on Endymion's face--his mouth, the sharpness   
  
of his features, his unseeing eyes, and the prominent   
  
symbol of Earth upon his forehead. Her quaking fingertips   
  
unclenched from his arms and as they came near, the   
  
symbol flared and sizzled. She gulped, and her hand   
  
hovered centimeters from his forehead.   
  
Closing her eyes, she let them rest lightly upon   
  
it. For a moment, she could hear and feel nothing. Her   
  
only thoughts were of her prince. When her eyes cracked   
  
open again, she was englufed in a silver shower of light.   
  
She closed them tightly against the blinding light and   
  
reached out her hands to find Endymion.   
  
A brief feeling of flesh beneath her fingers   
  
startled her, and she jumped back for a moment. Flinging   
  
her hands out with more confidence, she gripped his arms   
  
and trailed up to find his face. When she cupped her   
  
hands around his soft cheeks, she felt the familiar   
  
warmth of his hands on her own.   
  
'Serenity.'  
  
The light that enveloped them faded, and Serenity   
  
opened her eyes. Endymion stared back at her, but through   
  
him she could see the battlefield. She furrowed her brows   
  
and squinted. He was translucent--a spirit.  
  
"E-Endy?" She whispered, unbelieving.  
  
He smiled softly and reached for her hand. She--not   
  
knowing what else to do--met his hand halfway. Strangely,   
  
they felt as warm as they always had. She did not understand.   
  
She gazed at their hands and let out a startled cry.   
  
She was translucent as well. A silver lining encased her   
  
body, glittering softly.  
  
'Shall we right their wrongs, Princess?' Endymion's   
  
lips remained still, his voice sounding only in their minds.  
  
She abandoned all questions concerning their diaphanous   
  
state and offered him a smile in response. For the first   
  
time she gazed around them, taking in the view. Beneath   
  
them lay a sea of soldiers--their snarling and savage-  
  
like faces, frozen in place. Four beams of orange, red,   
  
green, and blue resided in mid-air, inches from their   
  
targets.   
  
Her mother and King Damius were each looking up at   
  
them--he with a look of pure stupor, she, proud and   
  
understanding. She nodded to her daughter, smiled at   
  
Endymion and closed her eyes. A beam of light shot from   
  
her hands and into Serenity's. Serenity cradled the   
  
silver crystal gently.   
  
Endymion looked at his father and decided to   
  
take back what was rightfully his. Damius growled   
  
with rage as the golden crystal zoomed from his grip   
  
and into his son's.   
  
'It is time for peace, Father.' Endymion   
  
transmitted.  
  
Damius' scowl softened slightly, and he looked   
  
down.  
  
Turning back to each other, Endymion and Serenity   
  
threw their crystals into the sky, using their power of   
  
love to guide it in its task. A colossal wave of   
  
silver/gold light soared over them, encasing the   
  
moon in a dome-like structure.   
  
'Where to, Princess?' Endymion asked.  
  
Serenity smiled and answered, 'To the future...  
  
where they can begin anew.'  
  
'I will find you again, Sere.' He vowed as his   
  
energy was drained rapidly.  
  
'And I will wait forever.'  
  
Queen Serenity watched with tear-filled eyes as   
  
her kingdom was transported from the moon and on to Earth.   
  
Using the last of her powers, she put the young lovers   
  
to rest and sent them off along with their kingdoms.  
  
As her daughter faded from her sight, a tear fell   
  
from her softened eyes. Flashing, it soared off into   
  
space, where it would find its heir when the keepers   
  
of time allowed.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Well...? Hate it, love it? Wanna banish me from the   
  
art of writing? Tell me ALLLLL about it! :D  
  
Be looking out for another of my literary masterpieces--  
  
or something like that--in the works called "To Go Please"  
  
and "Camp Kiwachee."  
  
ja~  
  
--Adrial   
  
Adrial_06@yahoo.com 


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